MTV'S THE CITY: A RETROSPECTIVE

The New York City version of MTV's juggernaut The Hills is working girl TV at its finest.

I, like many of my millennial brethren, grew up on Liz Gateley’s and Adam Divello’s MTV garbage (and by garbage I mean, life-changing media). In 2004, Lauren Conrad and Kristin Cavallari were introduced to our pop culture lexicons as high school foes in Laguna Beach, touted as the “the real OC”. After three glorious seasons, Laguna Beach parlayed into The Hills, a post high school spinoff featuring Lauren’s adventures in Los Angeles with her BFF Heidi Montag. It was during The Hills that we met Whitney Port, a bubbly LA native who worked at Teen Vogue with Lauren. Whitney, in many ways, was the angel on Lauren’s shoulder and it wasn’t long until her charms inspired a spinoff of her own. 

Enter The City - the greatest thing to come out of this era of the reality TV renaissance. Full stop. Unlike Laguna Beach, which centered on the lack of self-awareness only afforded by deluded, rich white youth, The City is all about what happens when you leave your comfort zone to be affronted by self awareness, your own limitations and the power of a great outfit.

The City follows Whitney to New York City where she dreams of becoming a success in the world of fashion. 

I’ve rewatched this show a countless number of times. Then, in the endless hours of quarantine, I started watching Whitney and her husband, Tim Rosenman (who produced The City) rewatch it. Their weekly reaction videos were a portal into something I never knew I needed.

The first half of season one struggles to find its footing, desperately trying to solve how it will differentiate itself from The Hills. The first twelve episodes are too laden with romantic conflict to be delightful, and the cast surrounding Whitney is replaceable (Whitney's beau, Jay, is particularly loathsome and boring at the same time). Once Jay disappears, the show turns into a working girl show rather than a soapy relationship drama. It’s The Mary Tyler Moore Show meets The Devil Wears Prada meets Mean Girls and it’s so wonderful. There are literally hundreds of notable moments throughout the series, but here are my top ten most iconic that I encourage you to revisit:

The Manolo Blahnik Event (Season1, Episode 2) For anyone who fetishizes shoes, Manolo Blahnik is king. Seeing him appear on an MTV reality show is a blessing in and of itself. But, this moment in The City’s history is particularly memorable because of Olivia’s daringly seeking comment about the pair of Manolos she purchased at 17 for her “deb ball.” Especially on the heels of Whitney’s sincere statement to Blahnik about this being her first pair ever, Olivia's side note feels particularly pursuant of some sort of recognition. "Don't worry! I'm an elite! I'm one of YOU!!" 

"It's like the Beach Boys over there." (Season 1 Episode 8) When Jay’s band Tamarama gets a gig at a charity event (thanks to Olivia), her cousin Nevan (who I’m surprised never managed a spin off of his own) makes fun of them the whole time, spouting insults like "We're not in the Yukon!" to which whiny lil' Jay responds "Fucking keep "Bevan" away from me!" In Nevan's defense, here are some of Tamarama's mind bending lyrics: "Sea urchins and love affairs and dancing in the sun."

The Today Show Segment (Season 1 Episode 14) The beginning of the end of Erin's pleasantries towards Olivia. When Erin instructs Olivia to pull two looks for a TV segment on affordable outfits, Olivia and the Elle intern Bryn come back with lackluster looks that don't meet the criteria. When Erin gives Olivia critical feedback, Olivia has her first mic-removal meltdown and tells Erin to shove it, essentially. Of course, this is just the first of many squabbles between the two and they only get cattier and cattier.

Olivia Cuts Deals (Season 1, Episode 15) Olivia seamlessly brokering deals with a bootleg knockoff purse dealer is the kind of energy I need to inject into my veins.

Whitney Eve's First Fashion Show (Season 2, Episode1) We finally get to see all of Whit's clothes! On a runway! At New York Fashion Week! The fashion show is such a fun time capsule of the trends of the early 2000s - wispy cocktail dresses, cool pastels and blazers, blazers, blazers. It's a really sweet moment, made even sweeter by Kelly's advice to take in the moment. For me, Kelly Cutrone is the secret sauce of The City (so much so that I was one of the five people who watched Kell On Earth on Bravo for its one glorious season).

"She doesn't want to support the line." (Season 2, Episode 3) When Erin hooks Whitney up with a gig as an Emerging Designer for RueLaLa, Olivia is tasked with interviewing her at the photoshoot. But our Olivia never shows up, citing that she was interviewing another designer and couldn't make it. Obviously, we all know Olivia is protesting in opposition to Whitney's line getting any clout because she believes it to be "inconsistent." When Erin finds out that Olivia isn't coming, she breaks the news to a stunned Whitney, and Kelly vows to seek revenge on Olivia.

The Fergie Cover (Season 2, Episode 4) Erin and Olivia disagree on what Fergie should wear for a Spring ELLE cover. Olivia opts for a navy and black short suit, dripping with diamonds she pulled from Bulgari, Cartier and a dragon ring. Erin vies for a softer look featuring a mint green chiffon dress and no jewelry. The camps are split throughout the episode, with Joe Zee in Olivia's corner. After strenuous focus grouping, the cover is revealed, and Erin's pick wins! I mean, she IS in PR, of course she knows what the people want. Robbie Meyers' bitchy assistant rubbing in Olivia's loss is the icing on the cake.

"I see your watch." (Season 2, Episode 4) Olivia and ELLE's new Fashion Director, Alexis Bryan Morgan, meet for lunch and discuss their respective vintage watches (vintage Rolex, vintage Cartier)... for an entire minute.

The Date With the French Photographer (Season 2, Episode 4) When the French war photographer explains to Whitney how he had to drink water from a camel’s pouch to survive during a conflict and got sick from the bacteria in it. It speaks for itself, right? Plus, the photographer is hot!

"First of all, it's pit, not pin..." (Season 2, Episode 9) When Erin tries to shut Olivia out by bringing in UK fashion reporter Louise Roe, Olivia takes it upon herself to align herself with Louise. In a bold move, Olivia approaches Erin about her little plan to “pin” Louise and Olivia against each other...but then Erin corrects her with a sly smile. "First of all, it's pit, not pin and I'm not trying to pit the two of you against one another."

If you haven't seen The City yet-

and you need to find a way to watch it!